Method and system for rule-based sequencing for QoS

ABSTRACT

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method for communicating data over a network to provide Quality of Service. The method includes receiving data over a network, prioritizing the data, and communicating the data based at least in part on the priority. The step of prioritizing the data includes sequencing the data based at least in part on a user defined rule. Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system for communicating data including a data prioritization component and a data communications component. The data prioritization component is adapted to prioritize data. The data prioritization component includes a sequencing component. The sequencing component is adapted to sequence the data based at least in part on a user defined rule. The data communications component is adapted to communicate the data based at least in part on the priority.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to communications networks. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods forrule-based sequencing for Quality of Service.

Communications networks are utilized in a variety of environments.Communications networks typically include two or more nodes connected byone or more links. Generally, a communications network is used tosupport communication between two or more participant nodes over thelinks and intermediate nodes in the communications network. There may bemany kinds of nodes in the network. For example, a network may includenodes such as clients, servers, workstations, switches, and/or routers.Links may be, for example, modem connections over phone lines, wires,Ethernet links, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) circuits, satellitelinks, and/or fiber optic cables.

A communications network may actually be composed of one or more smallercommunications networks. For example, the Internet is often described asnetwork of interconnected computer networks. Each network may utilize adifferent architecture and/or topology. For example, one network may bea switched Ethernet network with a star topology and another network maybe a Fiber-Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) ring.

Communications networks may carry a wide variety of data. For example, anetwork may carry bulk file transfers alongside data for interactivereal-time conversations. The data sent on a network is often sent inpackets, cells, or frames. Alternatively, data may be sent as a stream.In some instances, a stream or flow of data may actually be a sequenceof packets. Networks such as the Internet provide general purpose datapaths between a range of nodes and carrying a vast array of data withdifferent requirements.

Communication over a network typically involves multiple levels ofcommunication protocols. A protocol stack, also referred to as anetworking stack or protocol suite, refers to a collection of protocolsused for communication. Each protocol may be focused on a particulartype of capability or form of communication. For example, one protocolmay be concerned with the electrical signals needed to communicate withdevices connected by a copper wire. Other protocols may address orderingand reliable transmission between two nodes separated by manyintermediate nodes, for example.

Protocols in a protocol stack typically exist in a hierarchy. Often,protocols are classified into layers. One reference model for protocollayers is the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The OSIreference model includes seven layers: a physical layer, data linklayer, network layer, transport layer, session layer, presentationlayer, and application layer. The physical layer is the “lowest” layer,while the application layer is the “highest” layer. Two well-knowntransport layer protocols are the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). A well known network layer protocol isthe Internet Protocol (IP).

At the transmitting node, data to be transmitted is passed down thelayers of the protocol stack, from highest to lowest. Conversely, at thereceiving node, the data is passed up the layers, from lowest tohighest. At each layer, the data may be manipulated by the protocolhandling communication at that layer. For example, a transport layerprotocol may add a header to the data that allows for ordering ofpackets upon arrival at a destination node. Depending on theapplication, some layers may not be used, or even present, and data mayjust be passed through.

One kind of communications network is a tactical data network. Atactical data network may also be referred to as a tacticalcommunications network. A tactical data network may be utilized by unitswithin an organization such as a military (e.g., army, navy, and/or airforce). Nodes within a tactical data network may include, for example,individual soldiers, aircraft, command units, satellites, and/or radios.A tactical data network may be used for communicating data such asvoice, position telemetry, sensor data, and/or real-time video.

An example of how a tactical data network may be employed is as follows.A logistics convoy may be in-route to provide supplies for a combat unitin the field. Both the convoy and the combat unit may be providingposition telemetry to a command post over satellite radio links. Anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be patrolling along the road theconvoy is taking and transmitting real-time video data to the commandpost over a satellite radio link also. At the command post, an analystmay be examining the video data while a controller is tasking the UAV toprovide video for a specific section of road. The analyst may then spotan improvised explosive device (IED) that the convoy is approaching andsend out an order over a direct radio link to the convoy for it to haltand alerting the convoy to the presence of the IED.

The various networks that may exist within a tactical data network mayhave many different architectures and characteristics. For example, anetwork in a command unit may include a gigabit Ethernet local areanetwork (LAN) along with radio links to satellites and field units thatoperate with much lower throughput and higher latency. Field units maycommunicate both via satellite and via direct path radio frequency (RF).Data may be sent point-to-point, multicast, or broadcast, depending onthe nature of the data and/or the specific physical characteristics ofthe network. A network may include radios, for example, set up to relaydata. In addition, a network may include a high frequency (HF) networkwhich allows long rang communication. A microwave network may also beused, for example. Due to the diversity of the types of links and nodes,among other reasons, tactical networks often have overly complex networkaddressing schemes and routing tables. In addition, some networks, suchas radio-based networks, may operate using bursts. That is, rather thancontinuously transmitting data, they send periodic bursts of data. Thisis useful because the radios are broadcasting on a particular channelthat must be shared by all participants, and only one radio may transmitat a time.

Tactical data networks are generally bandwidth-constrained. That is,there is typically more data to be communicated than bandwidth availableat any given point in time. These constraints may be due to either thedemand for bandwidth exceeding the supply, and/or the availablecommunications technology not supplying enough bandwidth to meet theuser's needs, for example. For example, between some nodes, bandwidthmay be on the order of kilobits/sec. In bandwidth-constrained tacticaldata networks, less important data can clog the network, preventing moreimportant data from getting through in a timely fashion, or evenarriving at a receiving node at all. In addition, portions of thenetworks may include internal buffering to compensate for unreliablelinks. This may cause additional delays. Further, when the buffers getfull, data may be dropped.

In many instances the bandwidth available to a network cannot beincreased. For example, the bandwidth available over a satellitecommunications link may be fixed and cannot effectively be increasedwithout deploying another satellite. In these situations, bandwidth mustbe managed rather than simply expanded to handle demand. In largesystems, network bandwidth is a critical resource. It is desirable forapplications to utilize bandwidth as efficiently as possible. Inaddition, it is desirable that applications avoid “clogging the pipe,”that is, overwhelming links with data, when bandwidth is limited. Whenbandwidth allocation changes, applications should preferably react.Bandwidth can change dynamically due to, for example, quality ofservice, jamming, signal obstruction, priority reallocation, andline-of-sight. Networks can be highly volatile and available bandwidthcan change dramatically and without notice.

In addition to bandwidth constraints, tactical data networks mayexperience high latency. For example, a network involving communicationover a satellite link may incur latency on the order of half a second ormore. For some communications this may not be a problem, but for others,such as real-time, interactive communication (e.g., voicecommunications), it is highly desirable to minimize latency as much aspossible.

Another characteristic common to many tactical data networks is dataloss. Data may be lost due to a variety of reasons. For example, a nodewith data to send may be damaged or destroyed. As another example, adestination node may temporarily drop off of the network. This may occurbecause, for example, the node has moved out of range, thecommunication's link is obstructed, and/or the node is being jammed.Data may be lost because the destination node is not able to receive itand intermediate nodes lack sufficient capacity to buffer the data untilthe destination node becomes available. Additionally, intermediate nodesmay not buffer the data at all, instead leaving it to the sending nodeto determine if the data ever actually arrived at the destination.

Often, applications in a tactical data network are unaware of and/or donot account for the particular characteristics of the network. Forexample, an application may simply assume it has as much bandwidthavailable to it as it needs. As another example, an application mayassume that data will not be lost in the network. Applications which donot take into consideration the specific characteristics of theunderlying communications network may behave in ways that actuallyexacerbate problems. For example, an application may continuously send astream of data that could just as effectively be sent less frequently inlarger bundles. The continuous stream may incur much greater overheadin, for example, a broadcast radio network that effectively starvesother nodes from communicating, whereas less frequent bursts would allowthe shared bandwidth to be used more effectively.

Certain protocols do not work well over tactical data networks. Forexample, a protocol such as TCP may not function well over a radio-basedtactical network because of the high loss rates and latency such anetwork may encounter. TCP requires several forms of handshaking andacknowledgments to occur in order to send data. High latency and lossmay result in TCP hitting time outs and not being able to send much, ifany, meaningful data over such a network.

Information communicated with a tactical data network often has variouslevels of priority with respect to other data in the network. Forexample, threat warning receivers in an aircraft may have higherpriority than position telemetry information for troops on the groundmiles away. As another example, orders from headquarters regardingengagement may have higher priority than logistical communicationsbehind friendly lines. The priority level may depend on the particularsituation of the sender and/or receiver. For example, position telemetrydata may be of much higher priority when a unit is actively engaged incombat as compared to when the unit is merely following a standardpatrol route. Similarly, real-time video data from an UAV may havehigher priority when it is over the target area as opposed to when it ismerely in-route.

There are several approaches to delivering data over a network. Oneapproach, used by many communications networks, is a “best effort”approach. That is, data being communicated will be handled as well asthe network can, given other demands, with regard to capacity, latency,reliability, ordering, and errors. Thus, the network provides noguarantees that any given piece of data will reach its destination in atimely manner, or at all. Additionally, no guarantees are made that datawill arrive in the order sent or even without transmission errorschanging one or more bits in the data.

Another approach is Quality of Service (QoS). QoS refers to one or morecapabilities of a network to provide various forms of guarantees withregard to data that is carried. For example, a network supporting QoSmay guarantee a certain amount of bandwidth to a data stream. As anotherexample, a network may guarantee that packets between two particularnodes have some maximum latency. Such a guarantee may be useful in thecase of a voice communication where the two nodes are two people havinga conversation over the network. Delays in data delivery in such a casemay result in irritating gaps in communication and/or dead silence, forexample.

QoS may be viewed as the capability of a network to provide betterservice to selected network traffic. The primary goal of QoS is toprovide priority including dedicated bandwidth, controlled jitter andlatency (required by some real-time and interactive traffic), andimproved loss characteristics. Another important goal is making surethat providing priority for one flow does not make other flows fail.That is, guarantees made for subsequent flows must not break theguarantees made to existing flows.

Current approaches to QoS often require every node in a network tosupport QoS, or, at the very least, for every node in the networkinvolved in a particular communication to support QoS. For example, incurrent systems, in order to provide a latency guarantee between twonodes, every node carrying the traffic between those two nodes must beaware of and agree to honor, and be capable of honoring, the guarantee.

There are several approaches to providing QoS. One approach isIntegrated Services, or “IntServ.” IntServ provides a QoS system whereinevery node in the network supports the services and those services arereserved when a connection is set up. IntServ does not scale wellbecause of the large amount of state information that must be maintainedat every node and the overhead associated with setting up suchconnections.

Another approach to providing QoS is Differentiated Services, or“DiffServ.” DiffServ is a class of service model that enhances thebest-effort services of a network such as the Internet. DiffServdifferentiates traffic by user, service requirements, and othercriteria. Then, DiffServ marks packets so that network nodes can providedifferent levels of service via priority queuing or bandwidthallocation, or by choosing dedicated routes for specific traffic flows.Typically, a node has a variety of queues for each class of service. Thenode then selects the next packet to send from those queues based on theclass categories.

Existing QoS solutions are often network specific and each network typeor architecture may require a different QoS configuration. Due to themechanisms existing QoS solutions utilize, messages that look the sameto current QoS systems may actually have different priorities based onmessage content. However, data consumers may require access tohigh-priority data without being flooded by lower-priority data.Existing QoS systems cannot provide QoS based on message content at thetransport layer.

As mentioned, existing QoS solutions require at least the nodes involvedin a particular communication to support QoS. However, the nodes at the“edge” of network may be adapted to provide some improvement in QoS,even if they are incapable of making total guarantees. Nodes areconsidered to be at the edge of the network if they are theparticipating nodes in a communication (i.e., the transmitting and/orreceiving nodes) and/or if they are located at chokepoints in thenetwork. A chokepoint is a section of the network where all traffic mustpass to another portion. For example, a router or gateway from a LAN toa satellite link would be a choke point, since all traffic from the LANto any nodes not on the LAN must pass through the gateway to thesatellite link.

Thus, there is a need for systems and methods providing QoS in atactical data network. There is a need for systems and methods forproviding QoS on the edge of a tactical data network. Additionally,there is a need for adaptive, configurable QoS systems and methods in atactical data network.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method forcommunicating data over a network to provide Quality of Service. Themethod includes receiving data over a network, prioritizing the data,and communicating the data based at least in part on the priority. Thestep of prioritizing the data includes sequencing the data based atleast in part on a user defined rule.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system forcommunicating data including a data prioritization component and a datacommunications component. The data prioritization component is adaptedto prioritize data. The data prioritization component includes asequencing component. The sequencing component is adapted to sequencethe data based at least in part on a user defined rule. The datacommunications component is adapted to communicate the data based atleast in part on the priority.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readablemedium including a set of instructions for execution on a computer, theset of instructions including a data prioritization routine and a datacommunications routine. The data prioritization routine is configured toprioritize data. The data prioritization routine includes a sequencingroutine. The sequencing routine is configured to sequence the data basedat least in part on a user defined rule. The data communications routineis configured to communicate the data based at least in part on thepriority.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a tactical communications network environmentoperating with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the positioning of the data communications system in theseven layer OSI network model in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an example of multiple networks facilitated using thedata communications system in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 depicts several examples of data priority and network statusutilized by a data communications system in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a data communications system operating within a datacommunications environment according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for data communications inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system for prioritizing data according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for prioritizing data according to anembodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofcertain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understoodwhen read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose ofillustrating the invention, certain embodiments are shown in thedrawings. It should be understood, however, that the present inventionis not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in theattached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a tactical communications network environment 100operating with an embodiment of the present invention. The networkenvironment 100 includes a plurality of communication nodes 110, one ormore networks 120, one or more links 130 connecting the nodes andnetwork(s), and one or more communication systems 150 facilitatingcommunication over the components of the network environment 100. Thefollowing discussion assumes a network environment 100 including morethan one network 120 and more than one link 130, but it should beunderstood that other environments are possible and anticipated.

Communication nodes 110 may be and/or include radios, transmitters,satellites, receivers, workstations, servers, and/or other computing orprocessing devices, for example.

Network(s) 120 may be hardware and/or software for transmitting databetween nodes 110, for example. Network(s) 120 may include one or morenodes 110, for example.

Link(s) 130 may be wired and/or wireless connections to allowtransmissions between nodes 110 and/or network(s) 120.

The communications system 150 may include software, firmware, and/orhardware used to facilitate data transmission among the nodes 110,networks 120, and links 130, for example. As illustrated in FIG. 1,communications system 150 may be implemented with respect to the nodes110, network(s) 120, and/or links 130. In certain embodiments, everynode 110 includes a communications system 150. In certain embodiments,one or more nodes 110 include a communications system 150. In certainembodiments, one or more nodes 110 may not include a communicationssystem 150.

The communication system 150 provides dynamic management of data to helpassure communications on a tactical communications network, such as thenetwork environment 100. As shown in FIG. 2, in certain embodiments, thesystem 150 operates as part of and/or at the top of the transport layerin the OSI seven layer protocol model. The system 150 may giveprecedence to higher priority data in the tactical network passed to thetransport layer, for example. The system 150 may be used to facilitatecommunications in a single network, such as a local area network (LAN)or wide area network (WAN), or across multiple networks. An example of amultiple network system is shown in FIG. 3. The system 150 may be usedto manage available bandwidth rather than add additional bandwidth tothe network, for example.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 is a software system, althoughthe system 150 may include both hardware and software components invarious embodiments. The system 150 may be network hardware independent,for example. That is, the system 150 may be adapted to function on avariety of hardware and software platforms. In certain embodiments, thesystem 150 operates on the edge of the network rather than on nodes inthe interior of the network. However, the system 150 may operate in theinterior of the network as well, such as at “choke points” in thenetwork.

The system 150 may use rules and modes or profiles to perform throughputmanagement functions such as optimizing available bandwidth, settinginformation priority, and managing data links in the network. By“optimizing” bandwidth, it is meant that the presently describedtechnology can be employed to increase an efficiency of bandwidth use tocommunicate data in one or more networks. Optimizing bandwidth usage mayinclude removing functionally redundant messages, message streammanagement or sequencing, and message compression, for example. Settinginformation priority may include differentiating message types at afiner granularity than Internet Protocol (IP) based techniques andsequencing messages onto a data stream via a selected rule-basedsequencing algorithm, for example. Data link management may includerule-based analysis of network measurements to affect changes in rules,modes, and/or data transports, for example. A mode or profile mayinclude a set of rules related to the operational needs for a particularnetwork state of health or condition. The system 150 provides dynamic,“on-the-fly” reconfiguration of modes, including defining and switchingto new modes on the fly.

The communication system 150 may be configured to accommodate changingpriorities and grades of service, for example, in a volatile,bandwidth-limited network. The system 150 may be configured to manageinformation for improved data flow to help increase responsecapabilities in the network and reduce communications latency.Additionally, the system 150 may provide interoperability via a flexiblearchitecture that is upgradeable and scalable to improve availability,survivability, and reliability of communications. The system 150supports a data communications architecture that may be autonomouslyadaptable to dynamically changing environments while using predefinedand predictable system resources and bandwidth, for example.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 provides throughput management tobandwidth-constrained tactical communications networks while remainingtransparent to applications using the network. The system 150 providesthroughput management across multiple users and environments at reducedcomplexity to the network. As mentioned above, in certain embodiments,the system 150 runs on a host node in and/or at the top of layer four(the transport layer) of the OSI seven layer model and does not requirespecialized network hardware. The system 150 may operate transparentlyto the layer four interface. That is, an application may utilize astandard interface for the transport layer and be unaware of theoperation of the system 150. For example, when an application opens asocket, the system 150 may filter data at this point in the protocolstack. The system 150 achieves transparency by allowing applications touse, for example, the TCP/IP socket interface that is provided by anoperating system at a communication device on the network rather than aninterface specific to the system 150. System 150 rules may be written inextensible markup language (XML) and/or provided via custom dynamic linklibraries (DLLs), for example.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 provides quality of service (QoS)on the edge of the network. The system's QoS capability offerscontent-based, rule-based data prioritization on the edge of thenetwork, for example. Prioritization may include differentiation and/orsequencing, for example. The system 150 may differentiate messages intoqueues based on user-configurable differentiation rules, for example.The messages are sequenced into a data stream in an order dictated bythe user-configured sequencing rule (e.g., starvation, round robin,relative frequency, etc.). Using QoS on the edge, data messages that areindistinguishable by traditional QoS approaches may be differentiatedbased on message content, for example. Rules may be implemented in XML,for example. In certain embodiments, to accommodate capabilities beyondXML and/or to support extremely low latency requirements, the system 150allows dynamic link libraries to be provided with custom code, forexample.

Inbound and/or outbound data on the network may be customized via thesystem 150. Prioritization protects client applications fromhigh-volume, low-priority data, for example. The system 150 helps toensure that applications receive data to support a particularoperational scenario or constraint.

In certain embodiments, when a host is connected to a LAN that includesa router as an interface to a bandwidth-constrained tactical network,the system may operate in a configuration known as QoS by proxy. In thisconfiguration, packets that are bound for the local LAN bypass thesystem and immediately go to the LAN. The system applies QoS on the edgeof the network to packets bound for the bandwidth-constrained tacticallink.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 offers dynamic support formultiple operational scenarios and/or network environments via commandedprofile switching. A profile may include a name or other identifier thatallows the user or system to change to the named profile. A profile mayalso include one or more identifiers, such as a functional redundancyrule identifier, a differentiation rule identifier, an archivalinterface identifier, a sequencing rule identifier, a pre-transmitinterface identifier, a post-transmit interface identifier, a transportidentifier, and/or other identifier, for example. A functionalredundancy rule identifier specifies a rule that detects functionalredundancy, such as from stale data or substantially similar data, forexample. A differentiation rule identifier specifies a rule thatdifferentiates messages into queues for processing, for example. Anarchival interface identifier specifies an interface to an archivalsystem, for example. A sequencing rule identifier identifies asequencing algorithm that controls samples of queue fronts and,therefore, the sequencing of the data on the data stream. A pre-transmitinterface identifier specifies the interface for pre-transmitprocessing, which provides for special processing such as encryption andcompression, for example. A post-transmit interface identifieridentifies an interface for post-transmit processing, which provides forprocessing such as de-encryption and decompression, for example. Atransport identifier specifies a network interface for the selectedtransport.

A profile may also include other information, such as queue sizinginformation, for example. Queue sizing information identifiers a numberof queues and amount of memory and secondary storage dedicated to eachqueue, for example.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 provides a rules-based approachfor optimizing bandwidth. For example, the system 150 may employ queueselection rules to differentiate messages into message queues so thatmessages may be assigned a priority and an appropriate relativefrequency on the data stream. The system 150 may use functionalredundancy rules to manage functionally redundant messages. A message isfunctionally redundant if it is not different enough (as defined by therule) from a previous message that has not yet been sent on the network,for example. That is, if a new message is provided that is notsufficiently different from an older message that has already beenscheduled to be sent, but has not yet been sent, the newer message maybe dropped, since the older message will carry functionally equivalentinformation and is further ahead in the queue. In addition, functionalredundancy many include actual duplicate messages and newer messagesthat arrive before an older message has been sent. For example, a nodemay receive identical copies of a particular message due tocharacteristics of the underlying network, such as a message that wassent by two different paths for fault tolerance reasons. As anotherexample, a new message may contain data that supersedes an older messagethat has not yet been sent. In this situation, the system 150 may dropthe older message and send only the new message. The system 150 may alsoinclude priority sequencing rules to determine a priority-based messagesequence of the data stream. Additionally, the system 150 may includetransmission processing rules to provide pre-transmission andpost-transmission special processing, such as compression and/orencryption.

In certain embodiments, the system 150 provides fault tolerancecapability to help protect data integrity and reliability. For example,the system 150 may use user-defined queue selection rules todifferentiate messages into queues. The queues are sized according to auser-defined configuration, for example. The configuration specifies amaximum amount of memory a queue may consume, for example. Additionally,the configuration may allow the user to specify a location and amount ofsecondary storage that may be used for queue overflow. After the memoryin the queues is filled, messages may be queued in secondary storage.When the secondary storage is also full, the system 150 may remove theoldest message in the queue, logs an error message, and queues thenewest message. If archiving is enabled for the operational mode, thenthe de-queued message may be archived with an indicator that the messagewas not sent on the network.

Memory and secondary storage for queues in the system 150 may beconfigured on a per-link basis for a specific application, for example.A longer time between periods of network availability may correspond tomore memory and secondary storage to support network outages. The system150 may be integrated with network modeling and simulation applications,for example, to help identify sizing to help ensure that queues aresized appropriately and time between outages is sufficient to helpachieve steady-state and help avoid eventual queue overflow.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the system 150 offers thecapability to meter inbound (“shaping”) and outbound (“policing”) data.Policing and shaping capabilities help address mismatches in timing inthe network. Shaping helps to prevent network buffers form flooding withhigh-priority data queued up behind lower-priority data. Policing helpsto prevent application data consumers from being overrun by low-prioritydata. Policing and shaping are governed by two parameters: effectivelink speed and link proportion. The system 150 may form a data streamthat is no more than the effective link speed multiplied by the linkproportion, for example. The parameters may be modified dynamically asthe network changes. The system may also provide access to detected linkspeed to support application level decisions on data metering.Information provided by the system 150 may be combined with othernetwork operations information to help decide what link speed isappropriate for a given network scenario.

FIG. 4 depicts several examples of data priority and network statusutilized by a data communications system, such as the datacommunications system 150 of FIG. 1 and/or the data communicationssystem 550 of FIG. 5, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Although these examples are presented in the context of datacommunications between military aircraft over a low-bandwidth radionetwork, the data communications system may operate in a wide variety ofdata communications networks, such as the data communications network120 and/or the data communications network 520, and/or datacommunications environments, such as the data communications environment100 and/or the data communications environment 500.

Data may be assigned and/or associated with a priority. For example, thedata priority may include “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” “MED,” “MED LOW,” or“LOW,” as illustrated in FIG. 4. As another example, the data prioritymay include “KEEP PILOT ALIVE,” “KILL ENEMY,” or “INFORMATIONAL,” alsoillustrated in FIG. 4.

The data priority may be based at least in part on a type, category,and/or group of data. For example, types of data may include positiondata, emitter data for a near threat, next to shoot data, top-ten shootlist data, emitter data for a threat over one hundred miles away,situational awareness (SA) data from satellite communications (SATCOM),and general status data, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Additionally, thedata may be grouped into categories, such as “KEEP PILOT ALIVE,” “KILLENEMY,” or “INFORMATIONAL,” also as illustrated in FIG. 4. For example,“KEEP PILOT ALIVE” data, such as position data and emitter data for anear threat, may relate to the health and safety of a pilot. As anotherexample, “KILL ENEMY” data, such as next to shoot data, top-ten shootlist data, and emitter data for a threat over one hundred miles away,may relate to combat systems. As another example, “INFORMATIONAL” data,such as SA data from SATCOM and general status data, may relate tonon-combat systems.

As described above, the data type, category, and/or group may be thesame as and/or similar to the data priority. For example, “KEEP PILOTALIVE” data, such as position data and emitter data for a near threat,may be associated with a priority of “KEEP PILOT ALIVE,” which is moreimportant than “KILL ENEMY” data, such as next to shoot data, top-tenshoot list data, and emitter data for a threat over one hundred milesaway, associated with a priority of “KILL ENEMY.” As another example,“KILL ENEMY” data, such as next to shoot data, top-ten shoot list data,and emitter data for a threat over one hundred miles away, may beassociated with a priority of “KILL ENEMY,” which is more important than“INFORMATIONAL” data, such as SA data from SATCOM and general statusdata, associated with a priority of “INFORMATIONAL.”

A status may be determined for a network. For example, the networkstatus may include “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED,” “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,”“DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH,” or “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH.” These terms, in theorder listed, indicate an increase in observed performance, which can beviewed as a decreasing amount of impairment in relation to an unimpairedlink, a decreasing amount of shortfall due to substitution of lesscapable links, and/or a decreasing amount of shortfall in relation to afunctional requirement. The network status may relate to the operatingstate or condition of the network. For example, a network status of“MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH” may indicate that all of the bandwidth is availablefor data transfer. As another example, a network status of “DESIGN POINTBANDWIDTH” may indicate that some bandwidth is being used, but therequired amount of bandwidth to function normally is still available. Asanother example, “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED” may indicate that there is morebandwidth being used than the system is designed. At this point,problems may begin to arise. As another example, “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED”may indicate that most of the bandwidth is being used and there islittle or no bandwidth left. At this point, a system using a “BANDWIDTHCONSTRAINED” network begins to fall apart. Although these examples arepresented in the context of bandwidth, the network status may include awide variety of other network characteristics, such as latency and/orjitter.

The network status may change based at least in part on the networkenvironment. For example, bandwidth may be affected by altitude,distance, and/or weather. If the aircraft are close together and the skyis clear, for example, then the network status may be “MAXIMUMBANDWIDTH” or “DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH.” Conversely, if the aircraft arefar apart and the sky is cloudy, for example, then the network statusmay be “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED” or “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED.”

The data may be communicated over a network based at least in part onthe data priority and/or the network status. For example, if the statusof a network is “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED,” then only data associated with apriority of “HIGH,” such as position data and emitter data for a nearthreat, may be communicated over the network.

As another example, if the status of a network is “BANDWIDTHCONSTRAINED,” then data associated with a priority of “MED HIGH,” suchas next to shoot data, and “MED,” such as top-ten shoot list data, mayalso be communicated over the network. That is, data associated with apriority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” and “MED” may be communicated over anetwork if the network status is “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,” as illustratedin FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, the data may also be communicated inorder of priority, for example, “HIGH,” then “MED HIGH,” then “MED.”

As another example, if the status of a network is “DESIGN POINTBANDWIDTH,” then data with a priority of “MED LOW,” such as emitter datafor a threat over one hundred miles away and SA data from SATCOM, mayalso be communicated over the network. That is, data associated with apriority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” “MED,” and “MED LOW” may be communicatedover a network if the network status is “DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH,” asillustrated in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, the data may also becommunicated in order of priority, for example, “HIGH,” then “MED HIGH,”then “MED,” then “MED LOW.”

As another example, if the status of a network is “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,”then data associated with a priority of “LOW,” such as general statusdata, may also be communicated over the network. That is, dataassociated with a priority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” “MED,” “MED LOW,” and“LOW” may be communicated over the network if the network status is“MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,” as illustrated in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments,the data may also be communicated in order of priority, for example,“HIGH,” then “MED HIGH,” then “MED,” then “MED LOW,” then “LOW.”

FIG. 5 illustrates a data communications system 550 operating within adata communications environment 500 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The data communications environment 500, such as thedata communications environment 100 of FIG. 1, includes one or morenodes 510, such as the nodes 110, one or more networks 520, such as thenetworks 120, one or more links 530, such as the links 130, connectingthe nodes 510 and the networks 520, and the data communications system550, such as the data communications system 150, facilitatingcommunication over the components of the data communications environment500.

In certain embodiments, the data communications system 550 is adapted toreceive, store, organize, prioritize, process, transmit, and/orcommunicate data. The data received, stored, organized, prioritized,processed, transmitted, and/or communicated by the data communicationssystem 550 may include, for example, a block of data, such as a packet,cell, frame, and/or stream. For example, the data communications system550 may receive packets of data from a node 510. As another example, thedata communications system 550 may process a stream of data from a node510.

The data communications system 550 includes a data prioritizationcomponent 560, a network analysis component 570, and a datacommunications component 580. In certain embodiments, the dataprioritization component 560 may include a differentiation component562, a sequencing component 566, and data organization component 568.The differentiation component 562 may include a differentiation ruleidentifier 563 and a functional redundancy rule set 565, as describedabove with respect to FIG. 1. The sequencing component 566 may include asequencing rule identifier 567, as described above with respect toFIG. 1. In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 mayinclude a network analysis rule identifier 572 and network analysis data574.

The data prioritization component 560 prioritizes data forcommunications over the network 520. More particularly, the dataprioritization component 560 may prioritize the data based at least inpart on prioritization rules and/or algorithms, such as differentiation,sequencing, and/or functional redundancy. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 4, position data and emitter data for a near threat may beassociated with a priority of “HIGH,” next to shoot data may beassociated with a priority of “MED HIGH,” top-ten shoot list data may beassociated with a priority of “MED,” emitter data for a threat over onehundred miles away and SA data from SATCOM may be associated with apriority of “MED LOW,” and general status data may be assigned apriority of “LOW.”

In certain embodiments, the priority of the data may be based at leastin part on message content. For example, the data priority may be basedat least in part on type of data, such as video, audio, telemetry,and/or position data. As another example, the data priority may be basedat least in part on the sending application and/or the sending user. Forexample, communications from a general may be assigned a higher prioritythan communications from a lower ranking officer.

In certain embodiments, the priority of the data is based at least inpart on protocol information associated with and/or included in thedata, such as a source address and/or a transport protocol. The protocolinformation may be similar to the protocol information described above,for example. For example, the data communications system 550 maydetermine a priority for a block of data based on the source address ofthe block of data. As another example, the data communications system550 may determine a priority for a block of data based on the transportprotocol used to communicate the block of data.

In certain embodiments, the data prioritization component 560 mayinclude the differentiation component 562, the sequencing component 566,and the data organization component 568, which are described below.

The differentiation component 562 differentiates data. In certainembodiments, the differentiation component 562 may differentiate thedata based at least in part on the differentiation rule identifier 563.In certain embodiments, the differentiation component 562 may add datato the data organization component 568 for communications over thenetwork 520. For example, the differentiation component 562 may add thedata to the data organization component 568 based at least in part onthe differentiation rule identifier 563, as described above with respectto FIG. 1.

In certain embodiments, the differentiation component 562 maydifferentiate the data based at least in part on message content and/orprotocol information, as described above.

The differentiation rule identifier 563 identifies one or moredifferentiation rules and/or algorithms, such as queue selection, asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, thedifferentiation rules and/or algorithms may be user defined. In certainembodiments, the differentiation rules and/or algorithms may be writtenin XML or may be provided in one or more DLLs, as described above withrespect to FIG. 1.

In certain embodiments, the differentiation component 562 may removeand/or withhold data from the data organization component 568. Forexample, the differentiation component 562 may remove the data from thedata organization component 568 based at least in part on the functionalredundancy rule identifier 565, as described above with respect to FIG.1.

The functional redundancy rule identifier 565 identifies one or morefunctional redundancy rules and/or algorithms, as described above withrespect to FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, the functional redundancyrules and/or algorithms may be user defined. In certain embodiments, thefunctional redundancy rules and/or algorithms may be written in XML ormay be provided in one or more DLLs, as described above with respect toFIG. 1.

The sequencing component 566 sequences data. In certain embodiments, thesequencing component 566 may sequence the data based at least in part onthe sequence rule identifier 567. In certain embodiments, the sequencingcomponent 566 may select and/or remove the data from the dataorganization component 568 for communications over the network 520. Forexample, the sequencing component 566 may remove the data from the dataorganization component 568 based at least in part on the sequencing ruleidentifier 567, as described above with respect to FIG. 1.

The sequencing rule identifier 567 identifies one or more sequencingrules and/or algorithms, such as starvation, round robin, and relativefrequency, as described above with respect to FIG. 1. In certainembodiments, the sequencing rules and/or algorithms may be user defined.In certain embodiments, the sequencing rules and/or algorithms may bewritten in XML or may be provided in one or more DLLs, as describedabove with respect to FIG. 1.

The data organization component 568 stores and/or organizes data. Incertain embodiments, the data organization component 568 may storeand/or organize the data based at least in part on priority, such as“KEEP PILOT ALIVE,” “KILL ENEMY,” and “INFORMATIONAL.” The dataorganization component 568 may include, for example, one or more queues,such as Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, and Q5. For example, data associated with apriority of “HIGH,” such as position data and emitter data for a nearthreat, may be stored in Q1, data associated with a priority of “MEDHIGH,” such as next to shoot data, may be stored in Q2, data associatedwith a priority of “MED,” such as top-ten shoot list data, may be storedin Q3, data associated with a priority of “MED LOW,” such as emitterdata for a threat over one hundred miles away and SA data from SATCOM,may be stored in Q4, and data associated with a priority of “LOW,” suchas general status data, may be stored in Q5. Alternatively, the dataorganization component 568 may include, for example, one or more trees,tables, linked lists, and/or other data structures for storing and/ororganizing data.

The network analysis component 570 analyzes the network 520. In certainembodiments, the network analysis component 570 analyzes the network 520based at least in part on the network analysis rule identifier 572.

The network analysis rule identifier 572 identifies one or more networkanalysis rules and/or algorithms, such as a round-trip-ping,peer-to-peer analysis, and/or measured throughput. For example,round-trip-ping may analyze network latency by timing how long it takesfor a ping to go to an end-node and back. As another example,peer-to-peer analysis may assume that the slowest links are the firstand last one. Consequently, network performance may be evaluated bysending a message to the far-end requesting link speed data, and thenusing this data and the knowledge of present link speed to evaluatecurrent throughput or performance. As another example, measuredthroughput may segment blocks of data and send them to the far end ofthe network. The far end tracks each block of data that it receives.Using this timing information and knowing the size of the block of datathat was sent, the network throughput can be approximated over time.

In certain embodiments, the one or more network analysis rules and/oralgorithms may determine the state of health of the network on arule-driven time interval with a rule-driven reaction to that state. Forexample, an analysis rule looking at network stability may turn offoutbound data when data drop exceeds a reasonable level or an analysisrule may meter the data to a lower rate if round-trip packet timesexceed a reasonable level.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis rules and/or algorithms maybe user defined. In certain embodiments, the network analysis rulesand/or algorithms may be written in XML or may be provided in one ormore DLLs.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 determines astatus of the network 520. More particularly, the network analysiscomponent 570 may determine the status of the network 520 based at leastin part on one or more characteristics of the network 520, such asbandwidth, latency, and/or jitter. For example, as illustrated in FIG.4, the network analysis component 570 may determine that the status ofthe network 520 is “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,” “DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH,”“BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,” or “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED.”

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 analyzes oneor more paths in the network 520, such as the path between two nodes.

The network analysis component 570 at NODE A generates the networkanalysis data. More particularly, the network analysis component 570 atNODE A generates the network analysis data based at least in part on thenetwork analysis rule identifier 572. The network analysis data mayinclude a block of data, such as a packet, cell, frame, and/or stream.NODE A transmits the network analysis data to NODE B over the network520.

NODE B receives the network analysis data from NODE A. The networkanalysis component 570 at NODE B processes the network analysis datafrom NODE A. More particularly, the network analysis component 570 atNODE B processes the network analysis data based at least in part onnetwork analysis rule identifier 572. For example, the network analysiscomponent at NODE B may add a time stamp to the network analysis data.NODE B transmits the processed network analysis data to NODE A over thenetwork 520.

NODE A receives the processed network analysis data from NODE B. Thenetwork analysis component 570 at NODE A analyzes the network 520 basedat least in part on the network analysis rule identifier 572.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 at NODE Adetermines a status of the network 520. More particularly, the networkanalysis component 570 at NODE A may determine the status of the network520 based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the network520, such as bandwidth, latency, and/or jitter. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 4, the network analysis component 570 at NODE A maydetermine that the status of the network 520 is “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,”“DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH,” “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,” or “BANDWIDTHCHALLENGED.”

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 at NODE Aanalyzes one or more paths in the network 520, such as the path fromNODE A to NODE B.

The data communications component 580 communicates data. In certainembodiments, the data communications component 580 receives the data,for example, from a node 510 and/or an application running on the node510, or over a network 520 and/or over a link connecting the node 510 tothe network 520. In certain embodiments, the data communicationscomponent 580 transmits data, for example, to a node 510 and/or anapplication running on the node 510, or over a network 520 and/or over alink connecting the node 510 to the network 520.

In certain embodiments, the data communications component 580communicates with the data prioritization component 560. Moreparticularly, the data communications component 580 transmits data tothe differentiation component 562 and receives data from the sequencingcomponent 566. Alternatively, the data communications component 580 maycommunicate with the data organization component 568. In certainembodiments, the data communications component 580 communicates with thenetwork analysis component 570. In certain embodiments, the dataprioritization component 560 and/or the network analysis component 570may perform one or more of the functions of the data communicationscomponent 580.

In certain embodiments, the data communications component 580 maycommunicate data based at least in part on data priority and/or networkstatus.

In operation, data is received by the data communications system 550.More particularly, the data may be received by the data communicationscomponent 580 of the data communications system 550. The data may bereceived, for example, from a node 510 and/or an application running onthe node 510. The data may be received, for example, over a network 520and/or over a link connecting the node 510 and the network 520. Forexample, data may be received at the data communications system 550 froma radio over a tactical data network. As another example, data may beprovided to the data communications system 550 by an application runningon the same system by an inter-process communication mechanism. Asdiscussed above, the data may include, for example, a block of data,such as a packet, a cell, a frame, and/or a stream of data.

In certain embodiments, the data communication system 550 may notreceive all of the data. For example, some of the data may be stored ina buffer and the data communication system 550 may receive only headerinformation and a pointer to the buffer. As another example, the datacommunication system 550 may be hooked into the protocol stack of anoperating system and when an application passes data to the operatingsystem through a transport layer interface (e.g., sockets), theoperating system may then provide access to the data to the datacommunication system 550.

The data is prioritized by the data communications system 550. Incertain embodiments, the data may be prioritized by the dataprioritization component 560 of the data communications system 550 basedat least in part on data prioritization rules.

In certain embodiments, the data may be differentiated by thedifferentiation component 562. For example, the data may be added toand/or removed and/or withheld from the data organization component 568based at least in part on queue selection rules and/or functionalredundancy rules. As another example, the data may be differentiated bythe differentiation component 562 based at least in part on messagecontent and/or protocol information, as described above.

In certain embodiments, the data may be sequenced by the sequencingcomponent 566. For example, the data may be removed and/or withheld fromthe data organization component 568 based at least in part on sequencingrules, such as starvation, round robin, and relative frequency.

In certain embodiments, the data may be stored, organized, and/orprioritized in the data organization component 568. In certainembodiments, the data organization component 568 may include queues,trees, tables, linked lists, and/or other data structures for storing,organizing, and/or prioritizing data.

In certain embodiments, the data communications system 550 mayprioritize the data. In certain embodiments, the data communicationssystem 550 may determine a priority for a block of data. For example,when a block of data is received by the data communications system 550,the data prioritization component 560 of the data communications system550 may determine a priority for that block of data. As another example,a block of data may be stored in a queue in the data communicationssystem 550 and the data prioritization component 560 may extract theblock of data from the queue based on a priority determined for theblock of data and/or for the queue.

In certain embodiments, the priority of the block of data may be basedat least in part on message content. For example, the data priority maybe based at least in part on type of data, such as video, audio,telemetry, and/or position data. As another example, the data prioritymay be based at least in part on the sending application and/or thesending user. For example, communications from a general may be assigneda higher priority than communications from a lower ranking officer.

In certain embodiments, the priority of the block of data may be basedat least in part on protocol information associated with and/or includedin the data, such as a source address and/or a transport protocol. Theprotocol information may be similar to the protocol informationdescribed above, for example. For example, the data communicationssystem 550 may determine a priority for a block of data based on thesource address of the block of data. As another example, the datacommunications system 550 may determine a priority for a block of databased on the transport protocol used to communicate the block of data.

The prioritization of data by the data communications system 550 may beused to provide QoS, for example. For example, the data communicationssystem 550 may determine a priority for data received over a tacticaldata network. The priority may be based on the source address of thedata, for example. For example, a source IP address for the data from aradio of a member of the same platoon as the platoon the datacommunications system 550 belongs to may be given a higher priority thandata originating from a unit in a different division in a different areaof operations. The priority may be used to determine which of aplurality of queues the data should be placed into for subsequentcommunication by the data communications system 550. For example, higherpriority data may be placed in a queue intended to hold higher prioritydata, and in turn, the data communications system 550, in determiningwhat data to next communicate, may look first to the higher priorityqueue.

The data may be prioritized based at least in part on one or more rules.As discussed above, the rules may be user defined. In certainembodiments, rules may be written in XML and/or provided via customDLLs, for example. A rule may specify, for example, that data receivedusing one protocol be favored over data utilizing another protocol. Forexample, command data may utilize a particular protocol that is givenpriority, via a rule, over position telemetry data sent using anotherprotocol As another example, a rule may specify that position telemetrydata coming from a first range of addresses may be given priority overposition telemetry data coming from a second range of addresses. Thefirst range of addresses may represent IP addresses of other aircraft inthe same squadron as the aircraft with the data communications system550 running on it, for example. The second range of addresses may thenrepresent, for example, IP addresses for other aircraft that are in adifferent area of operations, and therefore of less interest to theaircraft on which the data communications system 550 is running.

In certain embodiments, the data communications system 550 does not dropdata. That is, although the data may be lower priority, it is notdropped by the data communications system 550. Rather, the data may bedelayed for a period of time, potentially dependent on the amount ofhigher priority data that is received.

In certain embodiments, the data communications system 550 includes amode or profile indicator. The mode or profile indicator may represent,for example, the current mode or profile of the data communicationssystem 550. As discussed above, the data communications system 550 mayuse rules and modes or profiles to perform throughput managementfunctions, such as optimizing available bandwidth, setting informationpriority, and managing data links 530 in a network 520. The differentmodes may, for example, affect changes in rules, algorithms, modes,and/or data transports, for example. A mode or profile may include a setof rules related to the operational needs for a particular network stateof health or condition. The data communications system 550 may providedynamic reconfiguration of modes, including defining and switching tonew modes “on-the-fly,” for example.

In certain embodiments, the data communications system 550 istransparent to other applications. For example, the processing,organizing, and/or prioritization performed by the data communicationssystem 550 may be transparent to one or more nodes 510 or otherapplications or data sources. As another example, an application runningon the same system as the data communications system 550, or on a node510 connected to the data communications system 550, may be unaware ofthe prioritization of data performed by the data communications system550.

The network 520 is analyzed by the data communications system 550. Moreparticularly, the network 520 may be analyzed by the network analysiscomponent 570 of the data communications system 550 based at least inpart on the network analysis rules.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 determines astatus of the network 520. More particularly, the network analysiscomponent 570 may determine the status of the network 520 based at leastin part on one or more characteristics of the network 520, such asbandwidth, latency, and/or jitter. For example, as illustrated in FIG.4, the network analysis component 570 may determine that the status ofthe network 520 is “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,” “DESIGN POINT BANDWIDTH,”“BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,” and/or “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED.”

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 analyzes oneor more paths in the network 520, such as the path from NODE A to NODEB.

The data is communicated by the data communications system 550. Moreparticularly, the data may be communicated by the data communicationscomponent 580 of the data communications system 550. The data may becommunicated, for example, to a node 510 and/or an application runningon the node 510. The data may be communicated, for example, over anetwork 520 and/or over a link connecting the node 510 and the network520. For example, data may be communicated by the data communicationssystem 550 over a tactical data network to a radio. As another example,data may be provided by the data communications system 550 to anapplication running on the same system by an inter-process communicationmechanism. As discussed above, the data may include, for example, ablock of data, such as a packet, a cell, a frame, and/or a stream ofdata.

In certain embodiments, the data is communicated by the datacommunications system 550 based at least in part on the data priorityand/or the network status. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, if thestatus of a network 520 is “BANDWIDTH CHALLENGED,” then only dataassociated with a priority of “HIGH,” such as position data and emitterdata for a near threat, may be communicated over the network 520.

As another example, if the status of a network 520 is “BANDWIDTHCONSTRAINED,” then data associated with a priority of “MED HIGH,” suchas next to shoot data, and “MED,” such as top-ten shoot list data, mayalso be communicated over the network 520. That is, data associated witha priority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” and “MED” may be communicated over anetwork 520 if the network status is “BANDWIDTH CONSTRAINED,” asillustrated in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, the data may also becommunicated in order of priority, for example, “HIGH,”, then “MEDHIGH,” then “MED.”

As another example, if the status of a network 520 is “DESIGN POINTBANDWIDTH,” then data associated with a priority of “MED LOW,” such asemitter data for a threat over one hundred miles away and SA data fromSATCOM, may also be communicated over the network 520. That is, dataassociated with a priority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” “MED,” and “MED LOW”may be communicated over a network 520 if the network status is “DESIGNPOINT BANDWIDTH,” as illustrated in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, thedata may also be communicated in order of priority, for example, “HIGH,”then “MED HIGH,” then “MED,” then “MED LOW.”

As another example, if the status of a network 520 is “MAXIMUMBANDWIDTH,” then data associated with a priority of “LOW,” such asgeneral status data, may also be communicated over the network 520. Thatis, data associated with a priority of “HIGH,” “MED HIGH,” “MED,” “MEDLOW,” and “LOW” may be communicated over the network 520 if the networkstatus is “MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH,” as illustrated in FIG. 4. In certainembodiments, the data may also be communicated in order of priority, forexample, “HIGH,” then “MED HIGH,” then “MED,” then “MED LOW,” then“LOW.”

As discussed above, the components, elements, and/or functionality ofthe data communication system 550 may be implemented alone or incombination in various forms in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set ofinstructions in software, for example. Certain embodiments may beprovided as a set of instructions residing on a computer-readablemedium, such as a memory, hard disk, DVD, or CD, for execution on ageneral purpose computer or other processing device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 600 for datacommunications in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The method 600 includes the following steps, which will bedescribed below in more detail. At step 610, data is received. At step620, the data is prioritized. At step 630, a network is analyzed. Atstep 640, the data is communicated. The method 600 is described withreference to elements of systems described above, but it should beunderstood that other implementations are possible.

At step 610, data is received. The data may be received, for example, bythe data communications system 550 of FIG. 5, as described above. Asanother example, the data may be received from a node 510 and/or anapplication running on the node 510. As another example, the data may bereceived, for example, over a network 520 and/or over a link connectingthe node 510 and the network 520. The data may include, for example, ablock of data, such as a packet, a cell, a frame, and/or a stream ofdata. In certain embodiments, the data communication system 550 may notreceive all of the data.

At step 620, data is prioritized. The data to be prioritized may be thedata that is received at step 610, for example. The data may beprioritized, for example, by the data communications system 550 of FIG.5, as described above. As another example, the data may be prioritizedby the data prioritization component 560 of the data communicationssystem 550 based at least in part on data prioritization rules.

In certain embodiments, the data priority may be based at least in parton message content, such as data type, sending application, and/orsending user. In certain embodiments, the data priority may based atleast in part on protocol information associated with and/or included inthe data, such as a source address and/or a transport protocol. Incertain embodiments, the data prioritization component 560 may be usedto provide QoS, for example. In certain embodiments, the prioritizationof data is transparent to other applications.

At step 630, a network is analyzed. The network may be analyzed, forexample, by the data communications system 550 of FIG. 5, as describedabove. As another example, the network may be analyzed by the networkanalysis component 570 of the data communications system 550 based atleast in part on network analysis rules.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 determines astatus of the network 520. More particularly, the network analysiscomponent 570 may determine the status of the network 520 based at leastin part on one or more characteristics of the network 520, such asbandwidth, latency, and/or jitter.

In certain embodiments, the network analysis component 570 analyzes oneor more paths in the network 520, such as the path from NODE A to NODEB.

At step 640, data is communicated. The data communicated may be the datareceived at step 610, for example. The data communicated may be the dataprioritized at step 620, for example. The data may be communicated, forexample, by the data communications system 550 of FIG. 5, for example,as described above. As another example, the data may be communicated toa node 510 and/or an application running on the node 510. As anotherexample, the data may be communicated over a network 520 and/or over alink connecting the node 510 and the network 520.

In certain embodiments, the data may be communicated based at least inpart on data priority and/or network status, as described above. Thedata priority may be the data priority determined at step 620, forexample. The network status may be the network status determined at step630, for example.

One or more of the steps of the method 600 may be implemented alone orin combination in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set of instructions insoftware, for example. Certain embodiments may be provided as a set ofinstructions residing on a computer-readable medium, such as a memory,hard disk, DVD, or CD, for execution on a general purpose computer orother processing device.

Certain embodiments of the present invention may omit one or more ofthese steps and/or perform the steps in a different order than the orderlisted. For example, some steps may not be performed in certainembodiments of the present invention. As a further example, certainsteps may be performed in a different temporal order, includingsimultaneously, than listed above.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 for prioritizing data according to anembodiment of the present invention. The system 700 includes adifferentiation component 710, a sequencing component 720, and a dataorganization component 730. The differentiation component 710 mayinclude differentiation rules 715, such as queue selection rules and/orfunctional redundancy rules. The sequencing component 720 includessequencing rules 725, such as starvation, round robin, and/or relativefrequency. The data organization component 730 includes, for example,queues, trees, tables, lists, and/or other data structures for storingand/or organizing data. The components of the system 700 may be referredto collectively as a data prioritization component 760, and may besimilar to the components of the data prioritization component 560 ofFIG. 5, as described above, for example.

Data is received at the data prioritization component 760. The data maybe received over a network, such as a tactical data network, and/or froman application program, for example. As another example, the data may bereceived from the data communications component 580 of FIG. 5, asdescribed above. The data may include, for example, a block of data,such as a cell, a frame, a packet, and/or a stream. The dataprioritization component 760 prioritizes the data. In certainembodiments, the data prioritization component 760 may prioritize thedata based at least in part on data prioritization rules, such as thedifferentiation rules 715 and/or the sequencing rules 725, for example.

In certain embodiments, the data is received at the differentiationcomponent 710 of the data prioritization component 760. Thedifferentiation component 710 differentiates the data. In certainembodiments, the differentiation component 710 may differentiate thedata based at least in part on the differentiation rules 715, such asqueue selection rules, and/or functional redundancy rules 765. Incertain embodiments, the differentiation rules and/or functionalredundancy rules may be defined by a user. In certain embodiments, thedifferentiation component 710 may differentiate the data based at leastin part on message content, such as data type, sending address, and/orsending application, and/or protocol information, such as source addressand/or transport protocol. In certain embodiments, the differentiationcomponent 710 may add data to the data organization component 730, forexample, based at least in part on the queue selection rules. Forexample, the differentiation component 710 may add video data to a firstqueue, audio data to second queue, telemetry data to a third queue, andposition data to a fourth queue. In certain embodiments, thedifferentiation component 710 may remove and/or withhold data from thedata organization component 730, for example, based at least in part onthe functional redundancy rules. For example, the differentiationcomponent 710 may remove stale and/or redundant position data from thefourth queue.

In certain embodiments, the differentiated data may be communicated. Forexample, the differentiated data may be transmitted to the datacommunications component 580 of FIG. 5, as described above. As anotherexample, the differentiated data may be communicated over a network,such as a tactical data network, and/or to an application program.

In certain embodiments, the data is received at the sequencing component720 of the data prioritization component 760. The sequencing component720 sequences the data. In certain embodiments, the sequencing component720 may sequence the data based at least in part on the sequencing rules725, such as starvation, round robin, and/or relative frequency. Incertain embodiments, the sequencing rules 725 may be defined by a user.In certain embodiments, the sequencing component 720 selects and/orremoves the data from the data organization component 730, for example,based at least in part on the sequencing rules 735. For example, thesequencing component 720 may remove the position data from the fourthqueue, then the audio data from the second queue, then the telemetrydata from the third queue, and then the video data from the first queue.

In certain embodiments, the sequenced data may be communicated. Forexample, the sequenced data may be transmitted to the datacommunications component 580 of FIG. 5, as described above. As anotherexample, the sequenced data may be communicated over a network, such asa tactical data network, and/or to an application program.

In certain embodiments, the data prioritization component 700, includingthe differentiation component 710, the sequencing component 720, and/orthe data organization component 730, may be used to provide QoS, asdescribed above. In certain embodiments, the data prioritizationcomponent 700, including the differentiation component 710, thesequencing component 720, and/or the data organization component 730,may be transparent to other applications, also as described above.

As discussed above, the components, elements, and/or functionality ofthe data prioritization component 700 may be implemented alone or incombination in various forms in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set ofinstructions in software, for example. Certain embodiments may beprovided as a set of instructions residing on a computer-readablemedium, such as a memory, hard disk, DVD, or CD, for execution on ageneral purpose computer or other processing device.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of method 800 for prioritizing dataaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 800includes the following steps, which will be described below in moredetail. At step 810, data is received. At step 820, the data isprioritized. At step 830, the data is communicated. The method 800 isdescribed with reference to elements of systems described above, but itshould be understood that other implementations are possible.

At step 810, the data is received. As described above, the data may bereceived over a network, such as a tactical data network, and/or from anapplication program, for example. As another example, the data may bereceived from the data communications component 580 of FIG. 5, asdescribed above.

At step 820, the data is differentiated. The data to be differentiatedmay be the data received at step 810, for example. The data may bedifferentiated, for example, by the differentiation component 710 ofFIG. 7, as described above.

At step 830, the data is sequenced. The data to be sequenced may be thedata received at step 810 and/or the data differentiated at step 820,for example. The data may be sequenced, for example, by the sequencingcomponent 720 of FIG. 7, as described above.

At step 840, the data is communicated. The data to be communicated maybe the data received at step 810, the data differentiated at step 820,and/or the data sequenced at step 830, for example. The data may becommunicated over a network, such as a tactical data network, and/or toan application program, for example. As another example, the data may becommunicated to the data communications component 580 of FIG. 5, asdescribed above.

One or more of the steps of the method 800 may be implemented alone orin combination in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set of instructions insoftware, for example. Certain embodiments may be provided as a set ofinstructions residing on a computer-readable medium, such as a memory,hard disk, DVD, or CD, for execution on a general purpose computer orother processing device.

Certain embodiments of the present invention may omit one or more ofthese steps and/or perform the steps in a different order than the orderlisted. For example, some steps may not be performed in certainembodiments of the present invention. As a further example, certainsteps may be performed in a different temporal order, includingsimultaneously, than listed above.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for communicatingdata over a network to provide Quality of Service includes receivingdata over a network, prioritizing the data, and communicating the databased at least in part on the priority. The step of prioritizing thedata includes sequencing the data based at least in part on a userdefined rule.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for communicatingdata includes a data prioritization component and a data communicationscomponent. The data prioritization component is adapted to prioritizedata. The data prioritization component includes a sequencing component.The sequencing component is adapted to sequence the data based at leastin part on a user defined rule. The data communications component isadapted to communicate the data based at least in part on the priority.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable mediumincludes a set of instructions for execution on a computer. The set ofinstructions includes a data prioritization routine and a datacommunications routine. The data prioritization routine is configured toprioritize data. The data prioritization routine includes a sequencingroutine. The sequencing routine is configured to sequence the data basedat least in part on a user defined rule. The data communications routineis configured to communicate the data based at least in part on thepriority.

Thus, certain embodiments of the present invention provide systems andmethods for rule-based sequencing for QoS. Certain embodiments provide atechnical effect of rule-based sequencing for QoS.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for communicating data over a network to provide quality ofservice, the method including: performing by at least one processingdevice, at least: receiving data at a data communication systemoperating on a node at an edge of a network; determining a networkstatus from a plurality of network statuses based on analysis of networkmeasurements; selecting a mode from a plurality of modes based on thedetermined network status, wherein each of the plurality of modescorresponds with at least one of the plurality of network statuses,wherein each of the plurality of modes comprises a user definedsequencing rule; prioritizing the data at the data communication systemby assigning a priority to the data, wherein prioritizing the datacomprises sequencing the data based at least in part on the user definedsequencing rule of the selected mode; determining at least one of aneffective link speed and a link proportion for at least one link;metering inbound data by shaping the inbound data at the datacommunications system for the at least one link; metering outbound databy policing the outbound data at the data communications system for theat least one link; and communicating the data from the datacommunications system, wherein communicating the data comprisescommunicating the data based at least in part on at least one of: thepriority of the data, the effective link speed, and the link proportion;wherein at least the steps of receiving and prioritizing occur at atransport layer of a protocol stack.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe data includes a block of data.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theblock of data includes at least one of a cell, a frame, a packet, and astream.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority of the dataincludes one or more of a type of data, a category of data, and a groupof data.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defined sequencingrule is dynamically reconfigurable.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe receiving step includes receiving the data at least in part from anapplication program operating on the node.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the data is sequenced based at least in part on at least one ofstarvation, round robin, and relative frequency.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the prioritizing step includes differentiating the data. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the data is differentiated based at leastin part on message content.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the datais differentiated based at least in part on protocol information. 11.The method of claim 8, wherein the data is differentiated based at leastin part on a user defined differentiation rule.
 12. The method of claim1, wherein the communicating step includes passing the data at least inpart to an application program operating on the node.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the sequencing step is transparent to an applicationprogram.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is prioritized toprovide quality of service.
 15. A processing device for communicatingdata, the processing device including: a network analysis component ofthe processing device configured to: determine a network status from aplurality of network statuses based on analysis of network measurements,and determine at least one of an effective link speed and a linkproportion for at least one link; a mode selection component of theprocessing device configured to select a mode from a plurality of modesbased on the determined network status, wherein each of the plurality ofmodes corresponds with at least one of the plurality of networkstatuses, wherein each of the plurality of modes comprises a userdefined sequencing rule, a data prioritization component of theprocessing device configured to prioritize data by assigning a priorityto the data, wherein the prioritization component includes a sequencingcomponent configured to sequence the data based at least in part on thea-user defined sequencing rule of the selected mode; a data meteringcomponent of the processing device configured to: meter inbound data byshaping the inbound data for the at least one link, and meter outbounddata by policing the outbound data for the at least one link; and a datacommunication component of the processing device configured tocommunicate the data based at least in part on at least one of: thepriority of the data, the effective link speed, and the link proportion,wherein at least the data prioritization component is configured tooperate at a transport layer of a protocol stack.
 16. The processingdevice of claim 15, wherein the data prioritization component includes adifferentiation component configured to differentiate the data.
 17. Theprocessing device of claim 15, wherein the data prioritization componentincludes a data organization component configured to organize the databased at least in part on the priority of the data.
 18. The processingdevice of claim 17, wherein the data organization component includes adata structure.
 19. The processing device of claim 18, wherein the datastructure includes at least one of a queue, a tree, a table, and a list.20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a set ofinstructions for execution on a computer, the set of instructionsincluding: a network analysis routine configured to: determine a networkstatus from a plurality of network statuses based on analysis of networkmeasurements, and determine at least one of an effective link speed anda link proportion for at least one link; a mode selection routineconfigured to select a mode from a plurality of modes based on thedetermined network status, wherein each of the plurality of modescorresponds with at least one of the plurality of network statuses,wherein each of the plurality of modes comprises a user definedsequencing rule, a data prioritization routine configured to prioritizedata by assigning a priority to the data, wherein the dataprioritization routine includes a sequencing routine configured tosequence the data based at least in part on the a-user definedsequencing rule of the selected mode, wherein the prioritization occursin a transport layer of a network communications protocol stack of adata communication system; a data metering routine configured to: meterinbound data by shaping the inbound data for the at least one link,meter outbound data by policing the outbound data for the at least onelink; and a data communications routine configured to communicate thedata based at least in part on at least one of: the priority of thedata, the effective link speed, and the link proportion.